On Sunday, May 7, 2017, at 3PM EDT (GMT -5), the Detroit Symphony will present a free webcast of The Defiant Requiem, a performance of Verdi’s Requiem that tells the story of the prisoners of the Terezin (Theresienstadt) concentration camp who performed the requiem during World War II. The multimedia performance was created by Murry Sidlin, and includes projections of scenes from propaganda films and testimony from survivors of the concentration camp who performed the requiem. Murry Sidlin will be the guest conductor and will speak during the pre-concert talk that begins at 2PM EDT. Do not miss this powerful presentation. You may see it at http://www.dso.org/live.

The fifties brought stereo sound; of course, you might say the idea had been around for a long time, but technology had to catch up: the Venetian polychoral style that was used at St. Mark’s in Venice, a style that was popular from the 1540s, made use of choirs singing in alternation from separated choir lofts. Wow, just like headphones! But then, Thomas Tallis could be said to have invented surround sound with his composition Spem in alium for eight choirs of five voices each, first sung in an octagonal hall, around 1570. You can hear Spem in alium here.

Classical music was also present at the advent of digital sound: Sony’s first CD release was to be Glenn Gould’s recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations; Philips released Bach’s Mass in B Minor on CD.1

Today, CDs and mp3s are making it possible for anyone to hear not only the masterworks of the most famous composers (not to mention various interpretations), but also the works of less well-known composers, others whose works have not been heard for hundreds of years, and others who finished their compositions just this year.

No one knows how music will be delivered in the future; but thanks to recording technology, we now have about 1000 years of classical music at our disposal, to be heard wherever and whenever we want.

I have found you hours and hours of opera. And I don’t mean The Ring cycle.

The Vienna State Opera is currently offering for free Wagner’s Parsifal and Götterdämmerung (ok, some of The Ring; click here for details). The opera company typically offers livestreams by subscription (single, monthly, by season). You can watch at the time of event, or slightly time shifted to accommodate your time zone.

Can’t make it to Milan to see an opera at La Scala? I feel your pain. Maybe this will help.

If you’re curious about opera, but didn’t know where to start, here’s a low-budget way (meaning, in this case, free) to see what it’s all about…in your pajamas if you’d like.

The Opera Platform website is intended for those new to opera as well as seasoned attendees and is intended to promote European opera companies. A number of operas have been made available as video on demand and include subtitles. A new opera is added each month, and is available on demand for six months. See their About Us page for more details. The site features operas by Wagner, Sibelius, and Verdi (La Traviata) to name a few, and Puccini’s La Boheme will be added soon.

Need a little background info before you dive into the operas? There are numerous books dedicated to demystifying opera (headed to the library? Dewey decimal number 782.1). Don’t have that much time? Sinfini Music has put together a number of comic strips outlining the plots of famous operas. You can find the comic strips here.

While these are great on-ramps to opera, there is no substitute for the thrill of live performance. If you like what you hear, check the web for local opera companies and performances in your area. There are a lot of talented folks out there who would love to have you come out and enjoy all the hard work, time, and devotion they put into their craft. They’d also prefer that you not attend in your pajamas.

No opera in your area? Head to your local library or favorite online merchant. Many operas are available not only on CD but DVD as well (including BluRay). Nothing beats a live performance, but the sound and visual quality of the recordings are typically top-notch. I saw Les Troyens by Berlioz on BluRay and it was spectacular.

So settle into your chair, wherever it may be, and get ready for a treat. If you see something you think is great, let us all know so we can see it too!

Postscript: After writing this, I found two great operas on pristine LPs at my local thrift shop. Total cost: $3.90.